Performance, Egg Quality, and Composition in Isa Brown Laying Hens Fed with Different Levels of Desmodium tortuosum Leaf Flour

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects on laying performance, egg quality traits, color, and composition of supplementing a white corn-based diet with <i>Desmodium tortuosum</i> leaf flour. Three hundred 32-week-old hens were distributed to 30 pens of 10 hens each and allocated to six dietary treatments (five replicates per treatment) for 13 weeks. Two control groups of 50 hens received one of either diet Y, based on yellow corn, or diet W, based on white corn. The other groups received a diet based on white corn supplemented with <i>Desmodium tortuosum</i> leaf flour at 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, or 10% (diet D). Diet D improved laying performance and yolk color at a reduced feed cost per egg but had no effect on cholesterol content. In conclusion, the inclusion of <i>Desmodium tortuosum</i> leaf flour, in a white corn-based diet, is effective in lowering feed cost, increasing egg production, and improving yolk color.